This morning at 10:30 a.m., Casa Árabe de Madrid, in collaboration with the Toledo International Centre for Peace (CITpax), is organising the conference Geopolitics and Mediation Efforts in the Arab World, given by Sultan Barakat, Professor of Public Policy at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University of the Qatar Foundation and Honorary Professor at the University of York. Prior registration is essential. Limited places. Event in English, without interpretation.
The spread of conflict in the Arab world over the past two decades has destroyed decades of development progress, produced more than 50% of the world’s refugees, and reversed the long-term global trend of declining levels of war-related violence. Responses to conflict in the region have included international military intervention, which has produced serious negative consequences, as was the case in Iraq and Libya. The provision of humanitarian assistance, which is vital to save lives, cannot alone address the underlying causes of conflict. There is therefore an urgent need to focus on conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction in the Arab world.
Mediation is one of the most important and effective responses to conflict in the Arab region. In recent years, the field of mediation has expanded dramatically in terms of the quantity and quality of third parties involved, as well as academic research, policy analysis and professional advice, particularly in Qatar. The talk will address some new ideas generated by Sultan Barakat, an expert on the region, to help improve the internalisation of initiatives, reduce the costs of peacebuilding and redress the poor results that currently exist due to geopolitical polarisation in the Middle East, the Gulf and North Africa.
Sultan Barakat will be accompanied by Emilio Cassinello, Director of CITPax, and Belén Alfaro, Advisor in the Cabinet of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. Presented by Karim Hauser, Casa Árabe’s International Relations Coordinator.
